Tate Worlds for Minecraft: Frequently asked questions

What is Minecraft?

Minecraft is a ‘sandbox’ video game downloaded online for a one-off payment. It is called a sandbox game because it allows users to play around, explore, and create what they want.

There are three ways you can play Minecraft:

By yourself on your own computer - exploring and building by yourself.

On a small local server with a group of friends - allowing friends to work together in order to build new structures, defend against the elements, or fight battles.

On a large public multiplayer server with other players on the internet - allowing players to participate in even more advanced gameplay in even more complex 3D Worlds.

The creative and building aspects of Minecraft allow players to build constructions out of textured cubes in a 3D procedurally generated world. The virtual landscapes in which building or game play takes place are often referred to as ‘maps’ because of their simulation of geographic areas.

Mojang, the creators of Minecraft, describe it as:

A game about breaking and placing blocks. At first, people built structures to protect against nocturnal monsters, but as the game grew players worked together to create wonderful, imaginative things.

Extract the map files with a ZIP extractor (saving the file to your desktop or Documents folder so that you can easily find it). ZIP files can usually be opened by your operating system without any problems. Otherwise, 7-Zip is one of the most popular free utilities that can open ZIP. Click the ‘Extract’ button and you will be asked for a location to extract to. Extract the folder to your desktop or Documents folder so that you can easily find it.

How do I play Tate Worlds maps as multiplayer games?

Currently, only Tate Worlds: The Toy Shop is multiplayer enabled. The map also works as a singleplayer game on your computer (offline). For specific guidelines on how to play this map in both single and multiplayer mode, including recommended Minecraft settings, download Single/Multiplayer instructions [PDF, 422 Kb].

To play Minecraft maps in multiplayer mode you must upload the map file to a multiplayer server. This can either be your own LAN (local area network – offline) or an online Minecraft map server (websites that host multiplayer games in Minecraft).

The player hosting the multiplayer game simply downloads the map file and uploads it to the Minecraft map server they intend to use before inviting friends to join the game. Each server will have its own specific instructions for how to do this. We strongly recommend that you only invite people you know and trust to play in multiplayer, and that those players under the age of 18 ask for permission from a parent or guardian before accessing a multiplayer server or network.

Is Minecraft safe to play for all age groups?

Mojang, creators of Minecraft, recommend the game for players aged 13+, mainly owing to the one-off payment required to download the game. However, many younger children will enjoy playing Minecraft and Mojang offers guidance to parents for account users under 13.

There are broadly two ways of playing Minecraft:

1. Singleplayer

Playing Minecraftby yourself on your own computer (offline) is 100% safe and appropriate for all ages. This is often referred to as singleplayer mode.

There is no real graphic violence or mature themes – just exploring and defending against the mysterious creatures that come out at night (skeletons, spiders, and strange green monsters called ‘creepers’).

Downloading Tate Worlds maps and playing them by yourself on your own computer (uploaded to your Minecraft app, offline) is 100% safe. Tate Worlds maps are created for players 13+ which is reflected in the difficulty level, however, younger players with experience of Minecraft will also enjoy playing the games. For this reason, we have ensured the content is accessible and appropriate for all ages. We recommend that anyone under the age of 13 asks permission from a parent or guardian before downloading and playing Tate Worlds maps.

2. Multiplayer

Playing Minecraft on a local server (setting up your own offline LAN [local area network] offline) is safe if you know and trust the other players you invite to join a game. See multiplayer guidelines below.

Playing Minecraft on a public multiplayer server can be unsafe to the extent that any public internet browsing can be unsafe. Users on these servers are able to write public messages to each other (similar to a Facebook wall), and while there are safeguards in place to prevent people from swearing and being rude to each other, there could always be a user online who does obey the rules or etiquette. As long as your child understands this and knows how to deal with the risks of internet browsing in general (such as watching YouTube videos responsibly), they should be fine on one of these public multiplayer servers. We recommend that anyone under the age of 18 asks permission from a parent or guardian before accessing a multiplayer server to play Tate Worlds maps.

For parents

For more advice regarding child safety on the internet, the following websites contain useful information for parents.